Frog Trouble Deluxe SongBook by Sandra Boynton

  Sandra Boynton has long been a favorite in our household. In fact her name was the FIRST author he recognized and knew the name of. My son loves the stories, the drawings, and more recently the interactive apps.  I love the uniqueness of her characters, the fun that is held within each line and the time we get to spend together reading.  With that in mind you must know that I am INCREDIBLY excited to review her newest and most country creation FROG TROUBLE And Eleven Other Pretty Serious Songs. I would never dare to call any of Sandra Boynton works ordinary, but this new release is on the other end of the spectrum of her usual line. This CD and Song book combo brings together Sandra's quirky writing with the musical talents of Alison Krauss, Ben Folds, Brad Paisley, Fountains of Wayne (MY FAVORITE) as well as many more. With titles like I Got a Dog, Trucks, and Alligator Stroll as well as the title song Frog Trouble, this is a country CD with a kid friendly twist. I LOVE IT.  The book contains the written lyrics of each song with an illustration, a choosing the right name for your pet section, guide, and instructions on how to do the "Alligator Stroll". Part two of the book also includes lyrics and sheet music so you could play the songs yourself and part three has all the bios of all the musicians. This book is AMAZING.


     Every single one of the songs are great fun and catchy. Not really one that you would call a "country music fan", I found the music amazing, and so different than your conventional children's CD. Of course with great artists like the ones selected for this compilation (FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE) you would expect the CD to do justice to Sandra Boynton's words. Although as you may have already noticed I am partial to Fountains Of Wayne and I do love their Trucks song, I have to say my absolute favorite is CopyCat sung by Brad Paisley. IT IS HILARIOUS and has me and my son cracking up every time we listen to it (which is a lot, he is three so repetition has not played out yet lol) I think you can figure out what the song is about, but the way it is performed is just hilarious. Background singers copycat the lines in the song and Mr. Paisley does a great job of not only singing beautifully (handsomely?) but adding the humor that the song demands. Definitely my FAVORITE in the series, hands or paws down. AHAHAHAHA ok.

    So even if you aren't a country fan (or maybe especially if you are) you just need to be a Sandra Boynton fan to really appreciate this amazing piece of art and fun that is Frog Trouble. She has exceeded any expectations that she had long ago surpassed in her other books and created something truly special that you and your family will really enjoy!

    Some fun and special facts about the making of Frog Trouble along with some Q/A from the woman herself Sandra Boynton:

*All recording sessions were directed by Boynton in Nashville, LA and NYC
*Boynton has written and illustrated more than 40 bestselling books for children and seven humor books for all ages.
*Boynton has directed award-winning film shorts of four of her songs, including One Shoe Blues staring BB King and sock puppets (which I am including, because it is AWESOME)

Q:Why did you decide to go country for this album?
 A: I guess sometimes a person just needs a little more twang in her life!

 Q: What ages is it intended for?
A: Truly all ages. The cover says "For Ages One To Older Than Dirt"

Q:You have three Gold records and a Grammy nomination. What are you hoping for with Frog Trouble
A: I'd like a hat. Actually I did buy a cowboy hat for my official FROG TROUBLE author photo. But I really liked Dwight Yoakam's hat better. So I just cut-and-pasted it onto a photo of me.

   How can you NOT love this woman?
  A special thanks to WorkMan Publishing company for sending me this copy for review! :)